Searching for Eden
by Paige Notes
Summary: AndromedaAU:Its been 300years since the Commonwealth fell The universe is now a treacherous place. A small band of refugees from an enslaved Earth are just trying to survive when they find a ship that could change their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I've been a long time Stargate: Atlantis fan but this is my first time writing a fic for the show, so I hope you enjoy it. Please tell me what you think, all opinions are appreciated. Anyway... enjoy the fic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own stargate or andromeda. wish I did, but sadly I don't

* * *

**Searching for Eden**

**ch.1**

"Are we ready?"

He looked up from where he was crouched at the source of the question. The man was thin and scruffy, wearing threadbare clothes with fluffy hair that was in disarray, but behind the battered frames of his glasses his hazel eyes were sharp and intelligent.

"Almost Radek. I'm blocking the last of the external sensors now. Did you hack into the hatch system?"

"Yes, everything is ready."

He nodded, a small smile gracing his features. Everything was going according to plan. They'd be in and out with what they needed and long gone before the crew of the ship even knew what happened "Good. Go ahead and take your place with Miko and Cadman."

Radek started to leave but turned back and frowned. "Rodney, are you sure we should be doing this?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "You're not wimping out on me now are you? Please, this will be a cake walk," He tapped a small silver disk, just below the left ear, on his neck. It had a small port for a cable in the middle. "Once I'm jacked into the ship's mainframe, we'll be home free." His face then went serious, none of the previously light mood was evident. "Besides, we don't have a choice. You know that."

"Radek sighed and nodded. "I know." He thought of a sick little girl, sitting in the Puddle Jumper, being watched over by a anxious father. Radek could tell his friend was worried, despite his best effort to hide it. He placed his hand on Rodney's shoulder. "She'll be okay, you know. Is big space cruiser and data we received listed a doctor as part of crew. They will have nanites that Madison needs."

Gratification flashed briefly across Rodney's face. That was replaced with a mock exasperated look as he stood. "Yes, of course they will. Now if the sap-fest is finished, we have a job to do."

Radek laughed to himself as he took his place with Laura and Miko. '_Same old Rodney'._

Rodney watched Zelenka moved to his spot then tapped the radio in his ear. "Alright boys and girls lets get started. What's everyone's status?"

He listened as the small band reported in.

"This is Lorne and Simpson, we're in position."

"Miller and Griffin, in position."

"Cadman, Kusanagi, and Zelenka. We're ready Rodney."

"This is Stackhouse. Markham and I are in position."

"Good, let's get this show on the road. Move on my count. Three...two…one…now!"

The hatch opened right on cue. Rodney smirked.

They were in.

* * *

Colonel John Sheppard, commander of the Pegasus, grinned as he watched Ronon devour his third plate of food. 

Yep, this was definitely turning out to be a good shore leave.

He had left the Pegasus in the drift's dock and went supply shopping with the rest of the crew. Carson had spent a solid two hours haggling for medical supplies and a few new flexi-novels for light reading while Teyla purchased new plants for hydroponics and a few new meditation candles. While those two were shopping, John, Aiden, and Ronon visited the nearest armory so Ronon could buy a couple new knives and Aiden could ogle the blasters, then found a sporting goods store where John treated himself to a new set of golf clubs.

By the time they all met up again, everyone was starving and they found themselves in an all-you-can-eat buffet watching Ronon eat the owners out of business. After this they would go and hit the beach and he could catch a couple waves. He almost had Teyla convinced to give surfing a try.

"_Colonel Sheppard."_

Instantly everyone at the table froze. Standing at the end of the table was the avatar of the Pegasus. She was a figure an enigmatic figure straight from the old legends, taking on the features of one of the ancestors. The race that had passed on so much knowledge before leaving the universe. No one quite knew how they ascended, but they remembered the stories and honored the ancients by giving them forms once again as avatars to the great star ships they had first designed. The woman standing in front of them was no exception.

John instantly could tell something bad was happening. '_There goes the surfing plans.' _"What's wrong Oma?" The normally solid looking hologram was flickering.

"_Someone has broken into me. They were somehow able to hack into my mainframe and are systematically shutting down all of my sensors and blocking all frequencies. I was lucky to get this message to you bef—" _Just like that she disappeared.

John jumped from the table, the others quickly following suit, and headed for the door. He pushed through the crowded street, not bothering to apologize to those he ran into. The only thing on his mind was getting back to the Pegasus.

As he ran, John Sheppard focused on one thing only.

Someone was on his ship.

End Ch.1

* * *

**Continue? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey everyone! sorry for the wait. I had a few problem while writing this one, but I think I have it how I want it. I want to thank the people who reviewed, reviews are a big motivator to keep writing. Anyway, here's chapter two. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or Andromeda. Wish I did, but I don't

* * *

Searching for Eden ch.2

As soon as the hatch was open the group converged on it. Entering then fanning out, making sure no one was aboard.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when no one showed up and no unexpected alarms were raised. They might be good at this, but that doesn't mean they weren't going to be cautious. A few close-calls took care of that.

The group made its way deeper into the ship, finally stopping in a large hallway. Lorne turned to Rodney, who was already crouched at the base of one of the walls searching for something. "Is this place alright?"

The man crowed in delight when he found what he was looking for. He gently pried away a panel to reveal an opening into one of the ship's maintenance conduits. "Yep, it's perfect. This hallway leads to the command deck, armory, and infirmary." He pointed into the tunnel. "I'll jack into the system in here and unlock the rest of the doors and block internal sensors." As he spoke, he started climbing into the conduit. "Once the sensors are down we need to hurry. Everyone knows where they're s'posed to be?" He received nods all around. They knew what to do. "Good."

With that he pulled himself fully into the small space.

They only waited a minute before Rodney's voice rang out from the opening. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you are now free to move about the starship." The others didn't need anymore prompting, and quickly divided into teams.

Griffin watched as the others ran off to complete their tasks. Only he and Jeanie were left standing outside the conduit.

"McKay, are you sure you don't want someone to watch you body while you're in the mainframe? It could be dangerous to just leave it alone."

Jeanie added in her support. "He's right Mer. You should let someone stay with you."

Although they couldn't see him, the eye-roll was evident in Rodney's voice. "I'll be fine. All I need to do is close the hatch before I jack into the system. My body will be perfectly safe. You on the other hand will be wandering the halls and no matter how good our intel is, there's no way to be sure what- or who for that matter- you'll actually find. So no, I shouldn't have someone stay with me." He poked his head out of the hatch. "Do you remember where the infirmary is?"

Jeanie nodded, remembering the location from the schematics they received before the mission. "It's not too far from here. We'll be done before the others. After we get the nanites, we'll head back to the jumper."

Rodney ducked back into the hatch, pulling the covering closed as he went. "We'll meet you there when we're all done." His voice called out.

"Stay safe."

There was no answer as they headed down the hallway.

Rodney sighed as he settled himself against the wall of the maintenance conduit and pulled out his interface cable. He didn't understand how they could worry about him when they were the ones in the potentially dangerous situation.

He would definitely be glad when this was all over. After they collected the payment for this job they wouldn't need to scavenge anymore. Maybe they could even settle down permanently. It wasn't right for Madison to grow up traveling from place to place. _'Maybe a nice residence drift or a planet with a beach, everyone would like that.'_

Rodney pushed away the thoughts. He had a job to do and day dreaming wasn't going to help get it done.

Plugging one end of the cable into the port on the wall, he then took the other end and slowly pushed it into the port on his neck. Flinching slightly at the small shock that came when the connection was made.

Rodney's body slumped as his mind left it, rushing into the ship's mainframe.

No matter how many times he did it, Rodney never grew tired of the feeling that came when he plugged into a computer or ship. The rush that he experienced as his consciousness left the body and the new understanding of technology were well worth the excruciating pain he endured while getting the implant.

Once Rodney was in the ship's mainframe he made quick work of the remaining security systems and monitored his team as they went about their tasks. Lorne, Cadman, and Simpson were bonding over the weapons in the armory, looking for the zat blasters that the client wanted. Griffin and Jeanie were currently searching for the nanites, and Markham and Stackhouse were standing guard at the doors of the command deck while Radek and Miko loaded the required information onto data disks.

"Yep, definitely a cake-walk."

"_You don't belong here."_

Rodney froze, his cyber-hand hovering over the main controls for the ship's core. Slowly, without taking his hand away, he turned to find a regal looking woman staring at him.

"_You will leave, Now!"_

What was she? Couldn't be someone else with a data port, there was no one beside their group onboard. It wasn't part of a security protocol. So what… then it hit him.

An AI!

He had never seen one before. None of the ships manufactured nowadays contained AI's. The only space ships that ever used avatars were the old SGC vessels from before the Commonwealth fell three hundred years earlier.

This had to be one of the old battle cruisers from the SGC.

Man, their intel had to be really lacking to have left out such an important fact. The AI's presence changed everything. Speaking of which, the AI was repeating her original demand.

"_Get out NOW!"_

Rodney smirked, finally understanding what the unknown system that he found earlier was for. "I don't think so." With that he deactivated the AI control system, effectively taking care of that problem.

He didn't have time to celebrate though. The presence of the AI had possibly dangerous implications. Rodney needed to contact his teams. Quickly, he activated the intercom controls.

* * *

Evan Lorne was helping Laura Cadman and Michelle Simpson pack up the zat guns and shock grenades when the ship's intercom came to life. 

"Lorne, do you read me?"

The three stared at each other in surprise for just a second before he answered. It must be important if Rodney was contacting them, something was up.

"What's up McKay?"

"While in the mainframe I came across a small oversight in the intel we were given, and when I say small I mean a large glaring gap." Panic was evident in his voice as he rambled.

Lorne needed to cool the other man down. His friend was known to turn an anthill into a mountain. It probably wasn't anything important. "Calm down, we're almost done here. Everything's fine."

"_Evan, it's bad." _That statement made him freeze. It wasn't the "it's bad" part that had him worried though. It was the other man's use of his name.

They had lived and traveled together for so long, and even before leaving the hell-hole that was earth they survived together, that they considered each other family. They only called each other by their last names when they were on jobs like this. Jeanie was the only one that ignored the rule. Rodney's use of his first name was like a giant warning beacon.

Laura and Michelle stopped what they were doing, catching onto the seriousness of the situation.

"Evan, the ship has an AI, I ran into it while in the ship's core. I shut it down, but I don't know if it did anything before. We need to wrap up and leave."

Radek's voice sounded excited over the radio "An AI! But that means that this ship is—"

Rodney interrupted him. "older than we thought, I know. It has to be one of the old Commonwealth battle cruisers."

"But how? All records say that the SGC ships were destroyed in the final wars with the Satedan prides."

"I don't know, but we don't have time to try and find the truth. The AI could have alerted someone, so we need to get out of here. What's everyone's status?"

Jeanie was the first to answer. "We found the nanites Mer. We just left the ship and are on our way to the jumper."

Miko's quiet voice was the next to be heard. "We have three fourths of the information downloaded. It will only take a little longer to finish."

"We're almost done as well. All the blasters we needed were pretty easy to find. Those shock grenades we found will also be useful. We're packing them with the zats."

"Good. Hurry and finish up so we can leave. I'm done in the core, but I'll keep monitoring." With that the intercom kicked off.

Evan glanced around at the bags they were loading shock grenades and zats into. "You heard the man, let's get back to work."

* * *

Teyla Emmagan followed John as he sprinted to the docks. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but knew that Oma's appearance meant it was important. She told them that there were people on the Pegasus. She put on a burst of speed. If that were true, then they needed to get back as quickly as possible. 

If those people somehow found the nova bombs…. Her mind didn't even want to imagine what someone might do with that kind of explosive power.

When they reached the dock there were no outside signs of invasion. Only a few people were present among the ships. Ronon, who was in the lead, almost collided with a man and woman as they rushed in the opposite direction. The slight shudders that overcame the two when they caught sight of the Satedan barely registered in her mind as she ran past them. Neither did she notice the worried look they exchanged as the man tapped a radio in his ear.

They made their way to the ship, but found that the hatch was locked, not even the override code could get the door to open.

John cursed, slamming his fist against the hull. "Damn it. How can they lock out the override command?"

Carson looked up at the huge star ship. "Are ya sure this is the only way in? Ah cannae believe tha with a ship this big there's only one entrance."

John grinned. "Doc, you're a genius!" With that he ran around to the cargo hatch, explaining as he went. "A few months after I was given command of the Pegasus, there was a situation like this where we were unable to get in."

Aiden's face lit up. "I remember that one, we had to blow a hole through the hull. Oma wouldn't talk to you until it was fixed."

John grimaced. "Thanks for the reminder. I had cold showers for a month for that one. Anyway, after that happened we installed a secondary hatch. It's not on the original blueprint, so we might be able to get in that way." They came to a concealed hatch and waited with baited breath as John entered his password.

Sluggishly, the door opened. All but Carson pulled out a gun as they entered the cargo bay. Ronon pulled out a spare and handed it to the doctor, who stared first at the weapon then at the big man. "Just in case" was all that he got for an answer.

John turned to the others when they reached the entrance from the cargo bay into the rest of the ship and pulled a life signs detector from his belt. He handed it to Aiden along with a disrupter. "Okay, we'll split into two groups. Ronon, Ford and Beckett will check around deck four. That's where the armory is, and we need to make sure they haven't found the novas. The scanner won't work from long distances and we can't be sure if they have a way to cover their presence or not, so be careful. We only have two disruptors so stay close together. As long as you do, they won't be able to detect us, assuming they have a life signs scanner of their own. Teyla and I will check out the main deck. If you run into anyone, apprehend them but don't kill. We need to get information."

He looked each of them in the eye, seeing determination in everyone. Even Carson had steeled himself up to face whoever they found. "Let's go."

* * *

Radek was just removing the last disk of downloaded data when Miko called out to him. 

"Come and look at this."

Curious he peered over her shoulder, sensing David Markham and Greg Stackhouse as they looked over his shoulder at the screen as well. His attention though, was on the file that Miko had unearthed.

"Hovno. How many do they have?"

"The data indicates that the ship holds fifty two bombs."

Markham blanched. "How is that even possible? Nova bombs aren't in creation anymore. How could they hav—" He was interrupted by Griffin's voice over the radio.

"Abort! I repeat, everyone needs to leave now. We just passed a group of people running towards the starship."

"You heard the man, pack it up and move out." Lorne called over the radio. "McKay, keep an eye on them."

"There's a slight problem with that."

"Problem?"

"They're outside the ship. They can't get through the hatch though." Even over the intercom, Rodney's panic was a near tangible force.

"_Rodney,_ don't worry. We're almost done."

"Hurry and get out of there. They've left the entrance and are moving around the ship. They must have another entrance."

"Okay, we're leaving. McKay, keep off the intercom. Don't alert them to your presence." He tapped his radio. "Stackhouse, Markham. Are you guys done?"

"Yes, sir. We're cleaning up now."

"Evan." Rodney's voice came over the radio this time.

" Rodney, I told you to stay off the frequencies. Even the radio could be tapped into."

"Trust me they can't. I made them, but that's not the point. I lost track of them. They must have a way to hide from the sensors. Get out of there now!"

"Right we're gone." Lorne called the other group again. "You guys had better be done."

"Yep, we'll meet you at the jum—" Markham's voice suddenly cut off.

"Markham… David!" The line stayed dead. He signaled to Cadman and Simpson. "Let's move. You two head for home, I'll check on the others."

"I don't think so."

Lorne cursed and turned to find himself face to face with the barrel of a gun.

* * *

John studied the people that were currently tied up in the middle of the command deck. 

They definitely weren't what he had been expecting.

This was probably most ragged group of people he had ever seen. The clothes they wore were well patched and needed to be put through the wash. They were shaggy and dirty, but what John noticed most was how thin they all were. They weren't skeletal, by any definition, but they certainly weren't pictures of perfect health.

The next thing he noticed was their eyes.

Although they were captive, none looked defeated. Despite evident fear, every pair of eyes he looked into stared right back in defiance.

He exchanged a look with Teyla before turning his attention to the obvious leader of the group, a brown-haired man the seemed intent on boring a hole through Ronon's head with his stare.

"So, you wanna tell me what you all were doing on my ship?" the man transferred his gaze from Ronon to John, saying nothing.

"Alright, if that question's too hard we'll start with an easier one. What're your names?"

A fluffy-haired man next to the leader was the first to speak up. "We're not telling you anything."

John was starting to get annoyed, but didn't say anything. Ronon on the other hand must have decided he was tired of it all because he stalked up to the fluffy man, towering over him, and growled. "Answer the question." He balled his fists.

"Don't you dare threaten him, Satedan!" Mr. I-will-slay-you-with-my-stare pulled against his bonds in an attempt to keep Ronon away from his teammate.

The venom in his voice surprised the crew of the Pegasus. Ronon was so shocked he backed up before he was even conscious that he was doing it. They knew that Satedans weren't the most loved race in the universe, but they hadn't ever encountered this kind of enmity before.

John felt the need to defend his friend and stared down Mr. glare-of-death. "Ronon wasn't going to do anything; he just tends to loom at times like this. He does bring up a good point though, you need to tell us what we want to know. If you don't I'll be forced to turn you over to the drift's authorities. Now, do you have anything to say?"

"_No. They don't."_

John whirled around, bring his blaster up to bear. _How could we have missed one?' _He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Standing in front of him was a man, or more precisely was the holographic representation of one. How had they missed him and more importantly, how did he get into the mainframe. No one should be able to access the holograph matrix.

"_Let. Them. Go."_

"You don't seem to be in a position to demand anything of us."

Teyla eyed the man. He had sandy brown hair and was just as scruffy as the others. His shoulders were broad under his threadbare blue shirt despite his thin frame. What she really noticed though were his eyes. They were a piercing blue that seemed to bore into her soul when he looked at her.

"_Actually I'm in the perfect position to make demands."_

Sheppard eyed the hologram. "Why is that, and how did you get into the mainframe?"

Mr. Hologram tapped the side of his neck. "_Let's just say I have a key. As for your other question…" _The man folded his arms and pretended to think for a moment. _"Hmm, let's see. Well, for one I've taken your ship's AI offline. Two, I've locked your engine, so you won't be going anywhere anytime soon without my help, and finally three: if you touch even a single hair on one of their heads I'll make sure your nice little stash of nova bombs isn't a secret anymore I'm sure that a lot of people would be interested."_

John kept his face schooled but was silently fuming on the inside. How did he get into the system and how did he find out about the nova bombs? This guy could pose a serious threat, but he had something that would turn the tables.

He let a small smile creep onto his face. "You make a good argument…" John walked over to the main control panel and casually. "but there's one little hole in your plan."

"_Oh, and what's that?"_

Mr. Hologram tilted his chin arrogantly. He obviously didn't believe that John could do anything to counter his demand. Sheppard laughed to himself. Boy was he in for a surprise.

"You see this switch here?" The man grudgingly nodded. "Well, it happens to be a feature that's not in the original schematics." At this the prisoners seemed to release a collective groan. It must not be the first time that something like this had happened to them. "We had it installed when an enemy downloaded a sentient virus into the Pegasus. What it does is quite simple. When activated, it shuts down the ship's mainframe completely then restarts it. Anything that isn't part of the ship's core is erased." He paused for a second to let the words sink in. "If I'm correct, then the key you mentioned is a neural interface implant. That means that your consciousness is currently floating around in the mainframe and it takes time to transfer back into your body. More time than it takes for me to press this button. I push it and you're no more than an empty shell."

The proclamation was met with stunned silence. Even the crew of the Pegasus, who knew that John wouldn't actually do it, was shocked by the callous way he had presented the man's potential demise.

The silence only lasted a few seconds.

"Kříženec!"

With that single utterance from the fluffy haired man, the group of prisoners exploded. It was so loud Carson could barely hear himself think. He watched as the whole group yelled curses and demands at the Colonel. The doctor couldn't blame them; the life of someone they obviously cared for was just threatened. He had to remind himself that John wasn't really serious, but still. Sometime he could really be scary.

Carson looked at the hologram. He hadn't said anything since John's threat. The man simply stared into nothing, as if weighing options.

"_What will it take for you to let them go?"_

The question was quiet but was heard over all the others. Just as quickly as shouting started, everyone was silent again.

"Rodney. Don't."

The utterance from the blonde woman seemed to break the trance.

"_Shut up Laura."_

"She's right. You cant—"

"_Evan, this is my choice."_ The man, _Rodney, _turned to John. Repeating his question. "_What will it take?"_

Carson watched as John studied the man for a few moments before responding.

"Stay and work on the ship." Eleven pairs of eyes stared at him.

"_Excuse me?"_

"You said earlier that you blinded all of our sensor and basically grounded us. So I'll let them go, free as a bird, if you not only fix what you did but stay as an engineer as well. We don't have a permanant egineer, so you would be useful."

"_You can't just—"_

"That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Rodney didn't even think about it. _"Take it."_

"Rodney, I won't let you do this!"

The hologram faced off with the man. _"You don't have a choice. This is my call." _

"But—"

"Evan, please." 

Those two words sealed it. Lorne knew that Rodney would have his way. He stared at his friend. The look he received asked many questions, but most of all he saw all the trust that McKay was putting in him. _Take care of them, take care of our family, _it said. Rodney was passing the responsibility onto Evan. He nodded slightly, promising that no matter what he would make sure their surrogate family stayed safe.

John saw the slight agreement and stepped forward, releasing their bonds one by one. "I'll lead you out."

"You're not even gonna let us say goodbye!?" The blonde prisoner, Rodney called her Laura, yelled. Not afraid to get into John's face.

Rodney answered before John got a chance to. "_Laura, just go." _The finality of his voice brokered no argument. She numbly nodded and followed everyone else as they were led through the ship to the cargo bay hatch. Rodney's hologram didn't travel with them. He had cut the connection and pulled back into the mainframe, knowing that he might renege on the deal if he said what he wanted. Because of this he was not there for parting words between Radek and John.

When they reached the hatch, Ronon watched as all but the fluffy haired man exited. Instead he stared Sheppard in the eye, as if measuring him then simply stated. "If you or your crew harm him, you will be sorry. We will make sure of it."

With that he ran off after the others, pausing only give one final warning glance. Promising that the matter wasn't finished.

They would be back.

* * *

**Continue? Please review.**

**translations:**

hovno- shit

krizinec- bastard


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hello, once again it is time for another chapter. Many thanks to everyone that reviewed! On another note, if anyone was wondering about some of the names, it's just the fact that some of the caracters didn't have first names so I took a little creative license to give each one a first name. I noticed that I forgot to mention this in the last chapter. Anyway... on with chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from stargate: atlantis or andromeda

* * *

**Searching for Eden**

**Ch3**.

"So, let me get this straight, you just left without him?"

This was the second time since they returned from the failed job. The first being right after they had tromped into the main puddle jumper. Jeanie and Kaleb looked up from where they were perched above their daughter. Michael Griffin quietly watched as they all collapsed, some on the open bench while the rest inhabited empty spaces on the floor. Jeanie's eyes traveled over them, instantly noticing their missing member. "Where's Meredith?"

After that, Jeanie listened quietly as Radek recounted what happened on the star ship. Simpson and Cadman were the only ones to interrupt. Inserting what happened in the armory. When he was finished, no one said anything.

Miko was just beginning to believe there wouldn't be a grand explosion of emotion.

"You left him!"

_It must be too much to hope for.' _She mused as she watched Jeanie's face cloud over in anger. Miko wasn't really surprised. The woman was related to Rodney after all.

"We're going back there right now!" She stomped over to the jumper hatch, only to be stopped by Lorne.

"No, Jeanie."

Jeanie's eyes welled with tears, but she refused to let them spill over. "Evan, we can't just leave him." She spoke with a clear voice, despite her strong emotions.

"It was his choice."

She seemed to deflate. "Are you saying we should just abandon him?"

Radek smirked, a sly glint in his eyes. "No, is not what he is saying at all. Rodney will stay with them," he held up a scanner "but we will keep close eye on starship."

* * *

After making sure that their guests were gone, John closed the hatch and addressed the air. "Alright, it's time to come out, but first release Oma and fix what you did first." 

Instead of the shabby man, Oma appeared in front of him. _"All of the incapacitated systems have been restored and he is pulling out of the mainframe as we speak. I have instructed him to stay in the maintenance conduit until you arrive. The rest of the crew is on its way to the main hallway as we speak. Dr. Beckett has already expressed his wish to perform a complete physical on the newest crew member." _

"Thanks." John and Ronon headed down the corridor at an easy lope. It was only a few minutes before the entire crew of the Pegasus was gathered outside the conduit hatch.

John knocked on the hatch. "Alright, come out slowly."

The hatch slid from the wall and a scowling face appeared. "Are you gonna tell me to put my hands up too?" He carefully climbed out of the conduit.

Sheppard smirked; this was going to be interesting. "Nah, no need but if you have any weapons you should hand them over to Ronon." The Satedan held out his hand expectantly.

Rodney's scowl deepened as he reached into his sleeves with deliberate movements. He drew out a pair of battered knives and placed them into the large man's outstretched palm, careful not to actually touch Ronon as handed them to him.

Oma appeared. _"Give him your interface cord as well, I don't want you messing around in my systems again."_

He handed over the cord. "It was nothing personal, you know. Just business." The crew perked up at this.

Aiden was the one to ask the question on all of their minds.

"What do you mean 'business'?"

"Do you think we perform high risk break-ins for fun?"

Teyla's eyes narrowed. "Who hired you to do this?" Rodney opened his mouth to answer, but Carson beet him.

"We'll get answers lass, but right now I'm more concerned about tha rash. I want to check our new friend over before ya ask anymore questions." Indeed his eyes were locked on the red, irritated, blister covered patch of skin that peaked out of the neck of the engineer's shirt. "If tha's okay with you Colonel?" His gaze shifted to John.

"It's fine with me. He can answer questions after the checkup."

* * *

Ronon followed Teyla, Ford, and Sheppard into the infirmary. It was time to check up on the rude man from the conduit. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to keep the man on the ship, but the advantage of having him onboard was obvious. Only time would tell if this was the right decision. 

Sheppard leaned himself against one of the med-bay's counters. "So, what's the verdict doc?"

"Well, our friend Rodney has an advanced case of Triangulum measles."

Aiden frowned. "Triangulum measles is a nearly extinct disease, isn't it?"

Carson nodded. "Yes, which makes me wonder how he got it. His immune system would need to be severely deplet—"

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!"

The crew's attention was drawn to the deeply scowling, unwilling patient sitting on the med-table.

"Well, as ah was saying, your immune system is depleted, which is why the measles were able to take hold." Carson opened up a drawer and rummaged around as he talked, finally pulling out a jar. The smell that emanated from the small container when he opened it made everyone in the room wince. "You'll have ta rub this over the rash twice a day for two weeks."

"What if I forgo your little voodoo ritual and just let it go away on its own?"

The doctor grinned a little. "Well, ya could do that. It wouldn't be too bad, your skin would just be slowly and painfully eaten away and ya would be conscious until tha very end. Tha measles will be unable to survive at that point. Now….will it be the 'voodoo' or are ya just going ta wait it out?"

Rodney grabbed the jar. "I'll take the voodoo."

Throughout the entire exchange, Ronon studied the newest crew member. Something about the man struck him wrong. It wasn't that the man made him nervous; his open face meant that Ronon would know if treachery were coming from a mile away. So what was it. The man was obviously afraid of him. He was used to people being wary because of his heritage, but this man and the other people earlier had shown downright loathing and fear. But still, that wasn't what was nagging him.

He watched the guy's movements. Jerky and nervous in a paranoid way. This guy was used to people trying to harm him. That in and of itself wasn't very surprising. Nowadays, people tended to look out for themselves. Most wouldn't even blink before betraying someone if it meant they got something in return. '_Well, not everyone is like that.' _

The Satedan spared a glance at his companion. Sheppard and Ford were easy enough to explain. They were SGC relics from the Commonwealth, when people still upheld chivalristic beliefs. Did they get one hell of a surprise when the Pegasus was pulled out of the black hole and time warp. He didn't understand how the doctor could have such a blind trust in people, Ronon snorted, Carson would probably treat a starving wraith if it were injured. Teyla, on the other hand, possessed an ability to read people and though she tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, she was a warrior and could take care of herself and those she cared about. He wondered what Teyla thought of their new guest.

Which brought him back to studying the man.

What bothered Ronon the most was his reaction whenever the Satedan made a sudden movement or came too close. The other intruders were the same way.

In the middle of his musings, Ronon's eyes caught sight of something. There!

Rodney's sleeve was rolled up from when Beckett had taken blood. The bare skin on his forearm revealed a few scars, but what caught Ronon's attention were the numbers tattooed on the skin. This explained the man's fear of Satedans.

"You're a mudfoot."

It was stated plain and simple and had the desired effect of bringing all conversation in the room to a halt.

Aiden and John had twin looks of confusion on their faces. "Mudfoot?" John gave Ronon a questioning glance. "Care to elaborate?" The Satedan made to answer, but was beat to the point.

"Mudfoot. Earther. It means I'm from the hell- hole commonly known as Earth."

"How did Ronon know?"

Ronon pointed to the engineer's arm. "He has a camp tattoo."

This just caused more confusion for the two soldiers. "Camp tattoo?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Have you two been living under a rock? Well, just in case, let me give you a brief history lesson. Commonwealth falls. Satedans waltz in and take over Earth. They have camps set up that us 'lower life forms' are lucky enough to inhabit, we are worked and subjected to their every whim until the day we die or become wraith food. This," he displayed the tattooed numbers "is merely one of my souvenirs from the joyous time that I spent growing up on that mud ball. Does that refresh your memories?"

Aiden looked to John in despair. "I didn't know that was how Earth ended up. I wonder if any of my family survived the invasion."

Rodney stared at him in disbelief. "You're an Earther and you didn't know about the Satedan invasion!? How is that possible?"

John sighed. "It's a long story, one that can wait 'til tomorrow. Right now it's time to turn in. Teyla, will you show him to his room?"

The Athosian inclined her head "Of course." She gestured to Rodney, who hopped off the table. "If you'll follow me?"

John could hear Rodney question Teyla as they left the infirmary. "So, what kind of cell are you shoving me in?"

"We felt that crew quarters would suffice, but if you would prefer to stay in a holding cell…"

* * *

This was John's favorite time of night. Just him piloting the ship through open space. The others were on the deck but were wrapped up in their own activities, leaving John to fly them away from the drift in peace. 

He also liked to use this time to think, and today's events gave him a lot to mull over.

John glanced over at Aiden, who was occupying the long-range sensors. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the young lieutenant. It was hard enough to be in one time at one moment then to suddenly be three hundred years in the future and find that everything you know has changed, but the younger man had just found out that the planet he grew up on was now a festering cesspool of suffering. John couldn't really relate. He had grown up as a military brat, well versed in the ways of the SGC long before he finally joined as a pilot. His family had never stayed in one place for long, John couldn't even remember what drift or planet he was born on.

"_John." _Oma's call pulled him from his thoughts.

"What's up Oma?"

"_I just thought you might like to know that our new friend is currently suffering from a nightmare."_

Teyla looked up from the spot on the floor where she was meditating. "Is this strange? I have known many people to have nightmares." Carson put down the flexi he was reading and Aiden stepped away from his consol, both watching the hologram. Ronon, on the other hand, continued to methodically sharpen and polish his many knives but John could tell that he was paying attention as well.

"_Usually I wouldn't bother you but he is starting to become violent. I'm concerned that he might harm himself if not woken."_

Carson stood and headed for the door. "Ah'll take care of him. Waking someone from a nightmare can be risky business, ya have ta be careful." When he saw everyone move to go with him he added. "It'd be best if tha whole crew isn't crowding around. We don't want ta scare him."

Teyla rose from her position on the floor. "I will accompany you."

John nodded and watched them leave, content that Carson would be safe with Teyla, just in case something happened.

* * *

When Carson and Teyla entered the room that Rodney was staying in, they were initially confused to find the bed empty but after a quick sweep of the room Teyla motioned Carson to the other side of the bed. 

There, wrapped up in a mass of blankets was the engineer. The man was obviously in an uneasy sleep, thrashing and making noises in the back of his throat.

Carefully, Carson kneeled next to the sleeping man, gently touching his shoulder. That little contact was enough to bring Rodney hurtling back into consciousness.

Only Teyla's quick reflexes saved the doctor.

An inch away from Carson's nose was the point of a small knife. Rodney had reacted from pure instinct, whipping the blade out from under his pillow. Luckily Teyla grabbed his wrist before he could do any damage.

Carson released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Bloody hell."

Rodney was finally becoming fully aware and quickly dropped the knife. "Sorry! You surprised me." His remorse showed in his eyes. Both Teyla and Carson could easily tell that he truly meant his apology.

Carson gestured as if to wave the whole mess away. "No harm, no foul." Teyla on the other hand wasn't as inclined to let the matter go.

"I believe you were instructed to hand any weapons you possessed to Ronon."

Rodney snorted. "Did you really think I would give up all my means of protection when I didn't know what you were gonna do with me? Please, I've lived long enough not to do something that stupid."

Teyla sighed. "I will let the matter rest if this is the last of your knives." At the man's nod she tucked the little blade in her boot.

"What are you two doing in here?"

"You were suffering from a nightmare. Oma alerted us that you were becoming violent, so I accompanied Dr. Beckett here to calm you down."

"Oh." He looked decidedly uncomfortable with their apparent concern. "Well…thanks. That was…kind of you."

"It isn't ah big deal." Carson cleared his throat. "If ya don't mind me asking though, is there a reason you're sleeping on the floor?"

Rodney looked a little embarrassed by the question but answered anyway. "Uh, I'm just used to sleeping on the floor. The bed is too different for me to sleep easily on."

Carson nodded in understanding then stood. "Alight then lad; since the nightmare's been taken care of, we'll be leaving you ta get back ta sleep." He started for the door, but halted when he noticed that Teyla wasn't following. "Teyla, luv, are ya coming?"

"Yes, but first Rodney will show me that he has no more knives stashed away."

The man in question, who hadn't bothered to take off anything but his shoes before sleeping, grumbled but knew that the point couldn't be argued. One by one he turned all the pockets of his cargo pants out, proving he wasn't hiding anything else.

He made to lie back down, but Teyla stopped him then reached for his pillow.

"I told you that knife was my last one."

"I must check, just in case. We don't want anymore near accidents and your last knife was kept under your pillow."

Rodney tried desperately to stop her. "I promise you, there aren't any more weapons."

Teyla wouldn't be swayed. "Then you won't mind me checking."

Rodney's defensiveness had clued Teyla in that the man was hiding something, but she was surprised by what she found.

Underneath his pillow was a battered flexi.

Carson drew closer to see the item as Teyla picked it up. Rodney on the other hand distanced himself from the pair, wrapping his arms around himself in a defensive gesture.

"What is it?" But Carson didn't get an answer from Rodney so Teyla activated the flexi.

What appeared on the display surprised both of them. Instead of information or a story, the flexi projected a picture.

Most of the people were recognizable as the group that broke into the Pegasus earlier that day. Only a woman, two men, and a young girl were unrecognizable. They hadn't been a part of the group they found onboard. They were standing in front of a starship that looked like a combination of three of the same ship, only connected together. All of them looked even more ragged than they were today, but it was evident that they were all happy. Right in the middle of the picture, grinning broadly, was Rodney. He had one arm around the woman that Teyla didn't recognize, but she shared his eyes so they must be related.

Carson looked up at Rodney. "Who are they?"

Rodney stared at them for a second before answering.

"My family."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Continue? Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**Hey everyone! It's time for another chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. It's a great encouragement to keep going. Anyway, I had a little dilema with this chapter. The last one was kinda a transitional and this one isn't exactly action packed, but I needed to build the story before getting into the main story. I was gonna post this as an extra long chapter, but there were enough kinks that I didn't want to risk it. So, anyway...enough of my rambling. Enjoy chapter four!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own stargate: atlantis or andromeda

* * *

**Searching for Eden Ch.4**

"So what's bothering you doc?"

Carson looked up from his bowl of oatmeal, which he had been starring at for the past ten minutes as he stirred it. John, Aiden, Ronon and Teyla had all watched quietly as he blew into the room, grabbed his breakfast and commenced to stare into it as if it contained the answers to the universe, mumbling to himself every once in a while.

"Sorry, Colonel. Mah mind is elsewhere."

Teyla nodded in understanding. She had a feeling that she knew what was bothering the kind doctor. "You are thinking of the picture."

Aiden looked from Teyla to Carson, trying to figure out what he was missing. John saved him the effort though.

"What picture?"

His question went unanswered though, as Carson started babbling to Teyla. "They were his family….we didnae even consider how this would effect them emotionally….what about tha wee lass?" His voice became rougher as he spoke and his accent thickened as his emotions took over.

Teyla couldn't bring herself to answer the bereft doctor. She just didn't have one.

"And ya know, ah cannae blame him for pulling out the knife last night. Ah finished tha physical this morning that ah was sidetracked from when ah found tha measles yesterday. He is covered in scars, tha worst ones are on his back. If those scars are any indication, then ah can barely imagine what his life on Earth was like. Some were bloody gruesome."

"Wait, hold up there!" John interrupted Carson before he could work himself into a full fit. "What was this about a knife and why didn't I hear about it until now?" He shot a glare at Teyla, who held her hands up placatingly.

"The crisis was averted; he was barely awake and acting out of pure instinct. We cannot blame him for that."

"Did you get the knife?" Seeing Teyla's affirming nod, John continued. "Good, we'll have to have a little talk with him about hiding weapons but at least no one was hurt. Now, what was this about a picture?"

"We found it when Teyla was checking for any more weapons, it's a picture of him and tha group we found on the ship plus a few more." Anguish, once more, crept onto his face. "I know we need an engineer, but ah cannae see how taking a man away from his family can be a good thing."

John shook his head. "It might not be right but we made a deal. It's a little late to be feeling regret now; we'll have to take the consequences and do our best to make him a part of the crew."

Ronon snorted. "Easier said than done, he's avoiding us."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not eating with us because he wants to avoid us."

"I still don't get it."

"Only someone who has starved would understand. On planets like Earth, people don't have a sure source of food and don't know when the next meal is coming. He knows that there's food available and normally he would take advantage of that and eat his fill, but he doesn't want to be in the same room as us, or more specifically, me. That's holding him back."

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Ronon is right. He does not feel safe with us nor does he trust us. He will wait until we've all finished before he comes to eat. Most likely he will avoid us as much as possible throughout his stay on the Pegasus."

"We'll just have to earn his trust."

Ronon shook his head at the young lieutenant. "It's not gonna be easy."

"How hard could it be?"

Ronon sighed to himself. Sometimes he couldn't believe how naïve Ford could be. "You didn't grow up in this era, you don't understand." He went silent after that.

Four pairs of eyes stared at the Satedan until he finally continued. "Sheppard and Ford lived during the Commonwealth and" he inclined his head towards Teyla and Carson "you two grew up in tight communities so you wouldn't really get it either. He won't trust us because he believes he can't afford to. Trust can be a weakness."

"What about the people he was with?"

Ronon grunted in annoyance. Luckily, Teyla understood and answered for him. "Rodney gave us only a brief glimpse of what Earth is like. Most likely he and the other people were forced to rely on each other for survival. I have encountered communities like this before; they do not react well to strangers and are very mistrusting. If we want to earn his trust, we will have to commit ourselves, for it will not be easy."

Aiden frowned. "Where is he anyway?"

"After ah finished his physical he ran off, claiming he wanted to get acquainted with the systems. Oma told me she would monitor him. Ah think she was afraid he would try and mess with her sensors again. He's obviously using work as an excuse to avoid us. We will need a plan or he will continue to hide from us."

John smirked. "Don't worry about a thing. I've already got a one."

* * *

"Where are they headed now, Michelle?" 

Simpson looked up from the screen in jumper two. "No change yet Evan. They're still on route to Altair, a largely populated planet known for its markets."

"Alright, follow at a safe distance and keep the jumpers cloaked." After killing the radio Lorne turned to Radek, who was sitting in the copilot's chair of jumper one. "So, are we gonna be able to pull Rodney outa there?"

Radek shook his head, sighing. "_Ne_. They will still be on defense for more attacks or infiltration. We will have to wait until time is right."

"I don't like just doing nothing."

Kaleb moved up from the back of the jumper to stand behind the pilot's chair. "We don't really have a choice. Be patient, we'll get our chance."

* * *

Rodney hummed to himself as he upgraded the Pegasus's long-range sensors. 

Barring the fact that he was an unwilling member of the starship's crew, today was going pretty well. After he managed to escape the voodoo witch doctor, Rodney was able to immerse himself in the ship's systems. The old systems were fascinating and easily distracted him from his hunger until he was sure no one was in the mess and could grab one of the power bars the woman, Teyla, had mentioned last night were in the cupboards.

Rodney would say that he was almost enjoying himself, if it weren't for the nagging hologram that hovered over his shoulder.

"_What are you doing now? Your actions are causing my sensors to go offline."_

"Would you calm down? I did that on purpose. I can't work on the sensors easily if I don't turn them off. I'm almost done, when they go back online the long-range sensors will reach twice as far as they used to." He made a few more adjustments "….there. Sensors are back online. How are they working?"

"_They are much improved. Range has increased by twenty percent." _Oma grudgingly admitted. She might not particularly care for him, but the AI had to concede that the man was brilliant at what he did. Since he began that morning, Rodney had fixed the faulty environmental controls on C deck, made the weapons release systems smoother, and upgraded the communications system. Not to mention the necessary replacement of random worn out circuits. In the span of one day, he single handedly did the job a whole department of engineers would have done in the old days.

Rodney stepped away from the consol he was working at and headed for the door. "Alright, next I wanna work on the slip-stream drive, I think we can…." When it opened, he came face to face with the messy haired guy, Joe, no John. The AI called him John.

John had to work to keep from laughing. The look on the engineer's face was priceless. It was reminiscent of a deer caught in headlights. He looked like he was trying to pull himself together, but John wasn't going to give him the chance. He needed to keep Rodney off balance for the first part of the plan or he would just run.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see. You'd be surprised how hard you are to track down."

"_You could have asked me."_

"Thanks Oma, I'll remember that next time."

"I had no idea you were looking for me." The lie was crystal clear in Rodney's eyes. John had no doubt that the man had kept tabs on all of the crew throughout the day and used the knowledge of their whereabouts to keep his distance. This was supported by the fact that none of them had seen him all day, no one even ran into him accidentally.

'Wanted to...see me?" His eyes narrowed, full of suspicion. "Why?"

John could sense that he was starting to lose control of the situation and hurried to regain it. "It's time for dinner and we were hoping that you would be joining us since you've missed breakfast and dinner." He placed his arm around Rodney's shoulder, but was surprised, and a little taken aback, when the man flinched away from him.

"I'm…uh…a little busy at the moment." He pointed down the hall, slowly edging away. "Sorry but maybe another time."

"You don't understand. Meals are mandatory for all crew members. We let the last two go since you're new, but now it's time for dinner and everyone is waiting for you." John started pushing Rodney towards the mess.

"I really don—"

"C'mon everyone's waiting. Ronon is really hungry. You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"

All of the engineer's protests died and he followed John down the hall, mumbling what might have been something disparaging about the colonel's parentage. John smiled to himself. Phase one went off without a hitch and now it was time to initiate phase two.

When they reached the mess, Teyla was helping Aiden and Ronon lay out the last of the food while Carson finished putting out silverware. No one acted as if anything was out of the ordinary as John pushed Rodney into one of the chairs. Instead they took their own seats, John and Carson on either side of Rodney with Teyla across from him and Ronon and Ford flanking her. Carson began piling food onto plates.

He handed one to Rodney. "Ye'll like this lad. We're having lemon chicken tonight."

Rodney stared at the innocuous looking piece of poultry. "Lemon?"

"Aye, nice isn't it. We usually don't get a lot of fruit, but we received a good deal on tha last supply run."

Rodney watched as everyone dug into their food. He stared at his for a minute before sticking his fork half-heartedly into the unknown vegetable that was furthest away from the chicken, listening while the others talked.

Aiden had just finished his own chicken and was moving on to the veggies when he noticed the uneaten food on Rodney's plate. "What's wrong, don't like chicken?"

Rodney kept his eyes on his plate, not wanting to betray himself. "I'm not that hungry."

Ronon snorted as he dug into his third helping. "You're lying."

"Oh, I'm sure you know more about whether I'm hungry or not than I do, Conan."

"His name is Ronon." Teyla suddenly found herself the new target of the Earther's glare.

"I know what his name is. It's an old Earth reference."

John looked up from his own meal. "He brings up a good point. It's just chicken, it's not gonna kill you." Rodney paled visibly at the last part. "What?"

Rodney mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I'm allergic to citrus." Carson went immediately into action. Nobody noticed Ronon leaving the table.

"Well, why didn't ya say anything before, lad?"

"It's not important."

"Of course it's important. We're not trying ta poison ya."

John nodded his agreement. "You need to tell us these sorts of things."

"Oh yes, I'm just gonna spill my heart out and tell you all my secrets. Then, maybe we can do each other's nails and gossip about who's going out with who and what diets we're on."

"I'm serious."

"I am too. I'm not about to willingly give you a weakness to exploit."

"Rodney, we're not trying murder you. We're not gonna hold anything over you and I'm not asking you to spill your guts."

"Well, then what do you want?"

At that moment Ronon came back, carrying a plate of the leftovers. Rodney could only stare as the Satedan placed the full plate in front of him, taking the other one away at the same time.

Teyla leaned forward from her place across the table from Rodney. "We just want to get to know you. We want you to understand that we will not hurt you, that you can trust us."

Rodney shook his head. These people confused him, they were starting to break down all of his preconceptions, but he didn't get that bad vibe from him. He could see himself working with these people and, maybe, trusting them. That's what scared him. All he wanted was to go back to his family. He didn't want to have anything to do with these people, but he could tell they weren't gonna make it easy for him. Well he wasn't gonna make it easy for them either. "I don't trust people and I'm still not gonna just open up."

Aiden spoke up from his spot on Teyla's left. "How about we take it slow? You ask a question and we'll answer it then we get to ask a question. Alright? Maybe then we can avoid near- poisonings."

Grudgingly, Rodney nodded. If he was gonna be forced to spend time on this ship, then he needed some info. "Fine, my question is how you all got one of the old Commonwealth battleships. They were all supposed to have been destroyed in the battle of witch head."

John began at the beginning. Telling Rodney everything: the commonwealth, the Satedan betrayal, the battle, and the black hole.

"So, let me get this straight. You two are actual SGC soldiers? You're like living relics, no wonder the ship was in so much need of an upgrade—"

"_Don't talk about me that way."_

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering why all your components and systems were older but not just that, the wiring and circuitry aren't made like that anymore. The black hole literally kept you all frozen. By the way," he rounded on John, "do you know how lucky you were that the black hole didn't rip your molecules to shreds? I mean, conditions had to be just right—"

"Yes, Oma made us well aware of that fact," John grimaced, "and I would be most appreciative if you didn't remind me."

"Okay, now I understand why you two are so clueless, but that doesn't explain how these three got here."

"Teyla and ah met after a wraith attack on her people."

Teyla nodded, picking up the story. "The wraith took many of my people and left our village destroyed. We had traded with Carson's people in the past and asked for asylum. Carson treated our wounded and spent much of his time helping to get us settled in our new home on Fáine."

"Ronon came to Fáine about two or three months after tha Athosians settled there. Ah removed a wraith tracker from his back."

At Rodney's questioning glance, Ronon shook his head. "You've already asked two questions, little man."

Ignoring the Earther's glare towards the Satedan, Teyla continued where Carson left off. "Ronon stayed on Fáine, with the tracker gone there would be no need to worry about attracting the wraith."

"Unfortunately, tha wraith came anyway. We had enough warning systems in place that we were able to get everyone ta safety, but much of tha homes and crops were destroyed. Fáine was a self sufficient planet, but after tha attack we had to take on outside jobs ta earn enough money to supplement what little we had left. Teyla, Ronon, and I joined a group of salvagers that was put together by a Nightsider. Tha goal was ta pull a ship out of a black hole and salvage tha parts, at least that's what tha guy told us. After that it's pretty much history. John and Aiden were unfrozen as soon as the ship was out of the black hole and stopped all our attempts ta take the ship."

Aiden chuckled. "They didn't have a chance, we know the Pegasus like the back of our hands. The Nightsider took their ship and ran, and the other salvagers took a couple of the escape pods. We talked with Ronon, Teyla, and Carson. Told them who we were, and they filled us in on what we missed. We took them home, but they decided to stay as part of the crew. We spent some time helping rebuild on Fáine before we left. Our goal is to restore the commonwealth."

"The Athosians and people of Fáine were the first to join." John added.

Rodney studied them all skeptically. "You seriously think you can bring back the commonwealth? After all this time?"

"Yes." Rodney could hear the absolute certainty in the colonel's voice.

"Well, how are you go—"

"No way. It's not your turn to ask questions, now we get to ask you two questions."

"Two! The deal was for one."

"Well, you asked two so it's only fair that we get to ask just as many questions as you did."

Rodney sighed and shrugged. "Fine, ask away."

"We'll start out with an easy one. Why were you on our ship?"

"Like I said yesterday, it was just business. We do odd jobs and have a nice reputation for getting what the customer needs. This time, everything was done anonymously. We received a message hinting at a very lucrative job. We met with a few underling of whoever wanted our services and they detailed exactly what they wanted. The throns we would have earned from this job would have been enough for us to not have to ever take any more jobs. We'd be able to actually settle on a planet or drift for good. Besides," Rodney stared at his now empty plate "the medical supplies were a good incentive."

"So that's wha happened to mah nanites."

"You took our medical supplies!?"

"Someone else needed them a lot more than you." Rodney's words wiped away any anger that John felt. He wanted to find out more, but Rodney interrupted him as soon as he opened his mouth. "You only have one more question tonight. Don't waste it."

Teyla leaned forward a little in her seat. "We are curious about the people in the picture, your family, can you tell us about them?"

"Yes."

They sat in silence for a few moments, waiting for Rodney to continue. Aiden frowned when no answer was forthcoming.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything else."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, I already answered your two questions. The first was about why we were on your ship and the second was if I could tell you about my family. I answered both."

"You didn't answer Teyla's question."

"Yes I did. She asked if I could tell you about them and I answered yes. She never asked anything about them, only my ability to answer questions about them. So, yes. I did answer her question." He pushed away from the table and stood up. "Well, since the Q and A session seems to be over, I think I'll head to bed." Rodney left the room before anyone could say anything. He laughed to himself as he walked towards his room. '_Nope, definitely not gonna make it easy for them.'_

John, Aiden, Carson, Teyla, and Ronon sat in stunned silence as the door swooshed closed behind him.

John was the first to recover. "I think the plan is going to be a little more difficult than we thought."

* * *

**Continue? Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait. I've been trying to balance writing this and writing my other fic Almost Human (I'll be updating this one soon). Anyway...here's chapter five. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or Andromeda /_cries in corner_/

* * *

**Searching for Eden**

**ch.5**

"_Mer, where are you? Mer…Meredith!"_

_The girl's yells cut through the fog of unconsciousness to pull him back into reality. "…ugh…Jeanie?"_

"_Mer!" The little girl followed the now continuous groans, finding their source half covered by debris from one of the blasts. She dropped to her knees next to his battered form. "Come on Mer! We gotta go, the wraith're comin'."_

_He groaned again, but pushed himself up. Thanking the stars that he didn't seem to have broken anything in the blast. He looked around. "Where're mom and dad?"_

_It wasn't until after he asked the question that he actually got a good look at Jeanie. She appeared to be on the verge of tears, but refused to let them fall. She didn't need to answer the question. He already knew the answer. "…they're gone, aren't they?"_

"_The wraith fed on them during the first wave." Her flat pronouncement of their parents' fate made the boy want to weep. Life on earth hardened them all from an early age, but still, to see it in the five year old was heart breaking. He wanted to take her into his arms and shelter his last remaining family member from the hell that they lived in, but he couldn't afford to. _

_They couldn't afford to. They need to leave and get to safety._

_He grabbed Jeanie's hand and ran. "Come on."_

_Amidst the chaos and destruction of the wraith attack, no one noticed two rail-thin children. Everyone was too busy finding places to hide before the next wave._

_The boy sighed in relief when they reached the concealed entrance to the hideaway. And not a moment too soon, the screams of wraith darts sounded overhead as another wave started. _

_Pulling the hatch open, he ushered Jeanie inside before following himself._

_Once the hatch was closed, lights came on automatically. Revealing three other children crouched in the small space. "Rodney, what's happening up there?"_

"_The third wave just hit…" he looked around the small space, noting each space. "wait, where's Laura?"_

_Radek, Miko, and Kaleb all shook their heads. "She never showed up." Rodney moved to go back out, but Radek caught his arm. "You can't go out. If we couldn't find her when culling began, then you won't find her now. We have to wait until it's over."_

_The eight year old sighed in defeat and sat down between Miko and Jeanie._

_Four hours. Four. Long. Hours. All they could do was sit and wait out the attack, huddling together for warmth in the cramped, damp space. All they could do was wait for it to end and pray that they weren't found._

_Finally the noises subsided, leaving behind the heavy kind of silence that can only follow complete mayhem._

_Tentatively Rodney poked his head out of the hatch, surveying the surroundings. All around people were picking through the rubble that used to be tin camp shacks and calling out for family. _

_One by one they crawled out of the shelter. _

_Rodney looked from face to face. They were all unsettled and unsure what to do next and were looking to him for guidance. He had to do something. "Alright, first thing first. We need to find Laura." _

"_Rodney!"_

_Rodney felt like laughing his head off. _'Speak of the devil' _The six year old jogged up, looking like she had just gone for a walk instead of having been caught in a wraith attack. "Where have you been!?" _

"_I hid with Brendan." Laura told them how she and Brendan were caught outside when the first wave hit. "What're you and Jeanie gonna do?" _

_That was the big question. Rodney wasn't sure what to do. Truth be told, the fact that his parents were dead hadn't actually hit him yet. He always knew that life on earth meant nothing was certain and there was always the possibility that he, Jeanie, or their parents might not make it to each new year, or month, or even the next day. Heck, he knew entirely well that it was possible. He and Jeanie were the only ones in the group that still had their parents. _'Well,' _he thought to himself '_used to have.' _The others stayed with relatives, but he and Jeanie didn't have any in this camp. "We'll stay in the community building or take one of the shacks that isn't needed anymore."_

"_I don't think so."_

_Rodney watched as Radek, Miko, Laura, Kaleb, and Jeanie's eyes became the size of dinner plates, staring above his head. Turning, he came face to face with a huge Satedan camp guard._

"_Alright you kludges, go line up in the square." He gave Rodney a little shove when he didn't move fast enough, sending him sprawling into the mud. "Hurry it up!" The huge man stalked away to find more of the camp residents. _

_When everyone was present, the head camp guard stepped out of the Satedan barracks. She walked slowly down the line, studying each piece of tattered clothing, every dirty face, and thin frame. She studied them with the same level of interest as if they were something disgusting on the bottom of her boot. _

_She finally came to a halt after she had traveled the whole line down and back. "It's over, kludges. You all have been given a comfortable existence in the refugee camp but after that last wraith attack, we have decided to cut our losses." She motioned to one of the guard, who opened the main gate. "We are not going to take care of you useless lumps of flesh any longer. Everyone out, now!" _

_The announcement was met with stunned silence. No one moved for a second, but it was apparently a second to long for the camp commander. "Now, you filth or we'll motivate you!"_

_There was a mass scramble for the gate. Rodney kept a death grip on Jeanie's and Miko's wrists and he saw that Radek and Laura were similarly attached._

"_Kaleb! Mer, where's Kaleb?" Jeanie was looking around frantically for her friend. _

_Rodney pushed the two girls through the gate and headed back through the throng of people. _

"…_go! Let me go, stupid uber!" _'Aw shit'_ He cursed to himself. There was Kaleb, dangling two feet above the ground by the collar of his t-shirt. The Satedan shook him a little to shut him up. _

"_You are either more of an idiot than the other kludges or you are deaf and didn't hear the commander. I'm in a good mood today so I will assume you didn't hear. I'll go slow. The…camp…is… closed. All of you worthless little kludges are out of here." He dropped the boy on the ground. "Now, get out before I punish you."_

_Kaleb didn't seem be listening. Instead of heading for the gate, he tried to run back towards the rows of shacks only to get knocked down. _

"_I guess you really are an idiot." The guard didn't look too upset that Kaleb didn't heed his order. _

"_I gotta go back!"_

"_All you've 'gotta' do is listen to me!" When Rodney saw the guard move to kick Kaleb, he acted before his mind even registered it. He launched himself at the Satedan, landing on the guards back._

"_Leave him alone, uber!" He held on for dear life. "Kaleb, run!"_

_Kaleb finally seemed to snap to his senses and ran for the gate, no one stopped him as he made his escape. Rodney wasn't so lucky. Just as Kaleb got away, Rodney found himself slammed into the mud. A breathless "Oooff" was the only sound he could make before a sharp pain tore into the side of his face. He could feel the blood start to pour out of his nose._

_Curling into a ball was all Rodney could do as the guard rained kick after kick into his unprotected back. _

_A slight pause made Rodney think that, maybe, his assailant was getting bored but just as he was about to uncurl and stand up, he found himself flying into the air as the Satedan picked him up and walked towards the gate. _

_He held Rodney by the front of the shirt and growled in his face. "I'm letting you off easy, but if I see you or anymore of you little pieces of filth, I won't be so kind." With that he threw Rodney into the mud and slammed the gate shut._

_Kaleb, Jeanie, Laura, Radek, and Miko gathered around him as he carefully picked himself up. Kaleb had an apologetic look on his face as he helped Rodney to his feet._

"_Why the hell were you trying to get back in the camp?"_

_Kaleb was on the verge of tears. "Momma's and Daddy's rings are in there."_

_Rodney mentally groaned. Kaleb owned a rawhide strip that had two tarnished gold rings on it. They had been in his family for generations and were the only items of value that they owned. When his parents died, he put the rings on the strip so he could wear them around his neck. Rodney knew how important they were to the six year old._

_They'd have to go back._

_He released a sigh. "We'll go back, but first we need to find a place to stay." _

_Immediately taking charge, Rodney led them from the outskirts of what used to be Colorado Springs where the camp was located towards the town's center._

_First thing first. They needed to find shelter and food. _

_Life in the camps was horrible. They were starved, worked ragged and abused by the Satedans but at least they knew for certain they'd have one meal a day. Outside the camps, nothing was certain. People scavenged for the smallest scraps just to have them stolen by someone stronger. Rodney knew they would have to stick together if they were gonna survive.

* * *

_

"_There's people in the den." _

_Evan grimace. _'Great, just what we need right now.' _This day was definitely turning out to be crap. First, they spend half the day foraging just to get beaten up and have it stolen. Now, when they finally found more and are ready to relax a little, someone's in their home. "How many, Michael?"_

_Griffin shrugged. "Six, but we could take 'em if we had to." Markham and Stackhouse nodded in agreement._

_Michelle peeked through the hole that led into the remains of a basement and smirked. "They look pretty scrawny to me."_

_Lorne agreed. "'Kay. Let's kick 'em out." He saw everyone nod. None of them would be backing out. This was their home and they weren't about to let it get taken. "David, Greg, you two go in from the broken storm window in the back." Markham and Stackhouse swiftly crept around the sides of what used to be a house. "Michael, go in from the hole in the basement ceiling, Me an' Michelle will go in through here."_

_The seven year old sighed as he and Simpson quietly crawled through the hole. This was definitely turning out to be a bad day. _

_Dropping into the basement of the derelict house, Evan surveyed the room. It was hard to see anything in the room in great detail but as the others entered, he could make out six small sleeping forms huddled together for warmth._

_The moment they got close, the invaders woke up. Each one went for pockets, pulling out makeshift blades. Lorne, Griffin, Simpson, Markham, and Stackhouse pulled out their own weapons, ready to go into action if any of the invaders made to attack. _

"_You're in our den."_

_A scrawny kid stared back at him defiantly with piercing blue eyes. "We're not leavin'."_

"_This is our home, you can't stay." _

"_Make us." It was said in a petulant voice. The kid gripped his knife tighter, prepared to fight. Both sides faced off but before either side could make a move, screams tore through the sky. _

_In an instant self-preservation took over and the two bands clustered into the corner together as the wraith darts streamed through the sky, their previous animosity temporarily forgotten._

_Suddenly, all the sounds stopped. _

_Evan crept to a window, peeking out to see if the darts are gone._

_Before he could even register what was happening, Evan was on the ground. Knocked over by the kid that had refused to leave. He opened his mouth to yell but the kid covered it with his hand. Boots crunched over the gravel outside. Evan could see distinctly wraithlike boots walk past their hideout. If he hadn't been knocked down, then they would've been found. _

_Only when the danger pass did the kid finally let him stand. They faced each other off, neither moving an inch. Reaching a decision, Evan stuck out his hand. "Evan."_

_The kid didn't take his hand, instead he crossed his arms but he answered anyway. "Name's Rodney. We're still not leavin'."

* * *

_

Evan smiled to himself as they landed the jumper in a clearing outside the largest market town on Altair, remembering his first meeting with the little band from the camps.

It turned out Rodney had been right. The group of invaders didn't leave, instead a strange alliance between their two bands. Evan and his group showed the recently evicted kids how to get around the city and survive in the slums and in turn were shown new ways to avoid and strike back at the Satedans. Rodney, Radek, and Miko proved to be extremely creative when it came to coming up with new ways to cause trouble, they had a blast comparing notes with Simpson. Jeanie and Kaleb were experts when it came to sneaking and stealing and bonded instantly with David and Greg, and Laura impressed everyone with her ability to make explosives out of pretty much anything.

Over time the two families melded and became one. They became brothers and sisters. They took care of one another, watched each other's backs, and- of course- made life as miserable as possible for the resident Satedan pride. No matter what they did, they did it together, like when it came to getting off Earth. They only left when all of them could. Above all, this was most important. They never left anyone behind.

That's what made leaving Rodney on the Pegasus so painful.

"We'll get him back you know." Simpson's voice pulled Evan out of his musings. Michelle's arms wrapped around him from behind. Turning into her embrace, Evan pulled her closer.

"I know, but that doesn't make this any easier. I could've done something—"

"What could you, or any of us, have done? I know you take everyone's safety as your personal responsibility, but there was absolutely nothing we could have done at the time that would have helped Rodney. That guy was gonna erase him."

"Still…"

"No. There was nothing we could have done at the time, but we'll get our chance. We'll get our brother back."

Gratitude for the woman in his arms flooded through his body. Michelle was always there for him and knew how to bring things back into perspective. Evan pulled her closer to him and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Thanks."

She pulled away smiling. "You're welcome. Now come on, everyone's ready to go. Radek says the ship landed in the main dock. We might get a chance to grab him after all."

* * *

"So what are we doing and, more importantly, why do I have to go?" 

Ronon snorted in amusement from his spot next to Ford as the crew of the Pegasus plus one irritated earther walked out of Altair's dry dock.

It was an ongoing argument. Needless to say, when Rodney learned that morning that he was expected to go to the Altairan market with the rest of them, he definitely wasn't pleased. Unfortunately, all his ranting and arguments fell on deaf ears.

Sheppard heaved a mock sigh, hiding a smirk. "I told you this morning. We do things as a crew. That includes supply shopping."

Personally, Ronon thought this was Sheppard's way of getting back at the engineer for the stunt he pulled with Teyla's question at dinner the night before.

As they moved into the market, Ronon noticed the earther eyeing the crowds. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going through his mind. "Don't even think about it, mudfoot. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"No idea what you're talking about."

John led the way through the market. "Come on, I want to get this over with."

* * *

"Stop, I want to check out this stall." 

Rodney sighed as, once again, the group came to a halt at one of the vendor's stands.

If being forced to work on the Pegasus was bad enough, having to go on this little field trip was like adding insult to injury.

He scanned the crowd before glancing back at the Pegasus's grew, more importantly at the Satedan. No luck. Just like the other times they stopped to shop, someone was always watching him. '_This is worse than the camps.' _At least in the camps he had a little freedom. With these people he was watched like a hawk. '_Damn hypocrites.' _The relic of a commander talked about trust but when it came down to it, he was a prisoner, nothing more.

Movement flashed in the corner of Rodney's eye.

Carefully, so as not to draw attention, he turned his head towards the movement. At first, nothing seemed out of place, people were haggling and yelling at one another, but then he saw her.

A woman with black hair and almond shaped eyes stood half hidden by the crowd. '_Miko.'_

She held a finger up to her lips and tapped her temple with her other hand, signaling that there was a plan. With that she disappeared back into the crowd.

Rodney turned back to the crew just in time for all hell to break loose.

He wasn't sure where the breakout of mass panic started, but he could be pretty sure who was behind it. The loud boom had Laura and her home-made explosives written all over it.

The crew of the Pegasus was only distracted for a second as they reached for weapons and tried to find the source of the confusion, but that was all the time he needed. Rodney melded into the crowd and was gone before anyone could make sense of the explosion.

He moved quickly but cautiously, searching for any sign of his family.

"Mer!" A hand caught his shoulder. Turning around, Rodney found himself staring into a pair of eyes identical to his own.

"Jeanie…" He was pulled into a tight embrace then just as quickly Jeanie let go, slapping him across the face.

Rodney placed a hand on his still-stinging cheek, too stunned to react properly.

"That was for doing something so stupid and self-sacrificing."

"I'm…sorry."

A grin split across the younger McKay's face. "I'm glad you're back, Mer. Now, come on. The others are meeting us back at the jumpers."

The pair had barely reached the edge of the market when things went bad.

"Hold it!"

Rough hands grabbed him and reached for his sister. He shoved her out of the way yelling, "Jeanie, run!"

Turning back, she saw the Satedans grab her brother. She wanted to go back, but knew it would be no use, and probably make things worse. Tears streamed down Jeanie McKay's cheeks as she ran, vowing to return. She would have her brother back, no matter what.

* * *

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A hand grabbed his wrist, pushing his sleeve up. 

"Is that a camp marking?" The Satedan crowed in delight. "It is! We'll get a nice bounty for turning in an escaped camp kludge."

'_No! nononononono! This can't be happening.' _Rodney's mind was shutting down with panic. These were bounty hunters, and they recognized the camp tattoo. There was only one fate left for him now. He was going to be sent back to Earth. He'd never see any of his family again. Never argue with Jeanie, never see Madison grow up, never play prime/not prime with Radek, Miko, and Michelle, never get his ass whipped in poker again. All that waited for him on Earth was a slow, painful death as punishment for leaving.

"There you are." A large shadow loomed up behind him.

The bounty hunter holding Rodney frowned. "Is this your kludge?"

Rodney was able to turn just enough to see Ronon. "He's my responsibility, yes. He took advantage of the prior confusion to sneak away."

Reluctantly, the bounty hunter pushed Rodney forward, causing him to stumble. He would have fallen if not for Ronon catching him. "Be more careful. We don't want scum like him running around." With that they jogged off to find other sources of bounty.

Reluctantly, Rodney looked up at Ronon. Grudgingly he said. "Thanks." The only reply was noncommittal grunt. He watched as Sheppard, Teyla, Ford, and Beckett appeared from the crowed.

"Nice try McKay."

Teyla wanted to smack her head in frustration. If this was John's way of making Rodney feel like part of the crew, then they needed a new strategy.

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

'How'd you just disappear like that? It was impressive." The banter put some of Teyla's apprehensions on the shelf. Instead of becoming angry, Rodney gave just as much as he got.

"Acquired skill. Earth is good for that kind of thing. People who stand out tend to die sooner than people who don't."

"Ah, I see. Well, we're going to head back to the Pegasus now. We can finish shopping tomorrow."

"Let me guess, another 'crew outing'?"

"You better believe it."

Aiden laughed as the argument from that morning was revived. At least things had ended well. None of them wanted to say it, but they all knew the timing of the explosion was too perfect. The young lieutenant searched the crowd, unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched. Just for a second, he thought he saw a fluffy head in the crowd, but it was gone before Aiden was sure he even saw it.

If today was any indication, life was going to get real interesting fast. '_Maybe I could meet the person that set off the explosion.' _It'd be nice to compare notes.

Carson sighed as he followed the others through the crowds, pretending not to notice that they were being followed. He caught sight of a blonde woman to the left of them, recognizing her as the one Rodney called, Laura. She winked at him before disappearing back into the crowd.

A not-so-subtle reminder that they were watching.

* * *

"I think I scared the cute little doctor." 

"That was reckless, Laura."

"Oh, come on Evan. I was just letting them know we weren't down for the count. Besides, wasn't your diversion tactic a little reckless?"

Stackhouse snorted in laughter. "No, that was just creating an opportunity. Reckless was doing it so soon."

Evan shrugged. "It was a good plan, it just didn't work."

Jeanie scowled from her spot next to Kaleb. "Yeah, due to extenuating circumstances." With that, she stormed into the jumper, Kaleb following closely behind. He found her sitting with Madison and silently sat down, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"Daddy, when is Uncle Mer. coming back?" Madison looked up at him with big blue eyes that looked so much like her mother's and uncle's. He hugged them both tighter, hoping to reassure not only Madison, but Jeanie as well.

"Soon, I promise."

They sat there in silence until Madison was snoring softly in Jeanie's shoulder. Carefully, so as not to wake her, they transferred the five year old to her normal sleeping spot. They stood there for a minute, just watching their daughter sleep.

Kaleb wrapped his arms around Jeanie. "We'll get another chance, you know." She sighed, leaning back into his arms.

"I hope so."

* * *

**Continue? Thanks for reading! Please review.**


End file.
